Disconnected
by megzx
Summary: A fictional autobiography type story about everyone's favorite artist nin, Deidara. Things aren't going well for the aspiring artist,that is until he meets his princess. Can he be her knight in shining armor? Or will he have to be saved himself? Deihina
1. Chapter 1

Disconnected

**Sometimes Deidara thinks it would have been easier.  
It's not like he was that much older then her anyways.  
He would have found a way to make it work.  
This was his life, his past, his happiness, his mistake.  
She was his princess, so what happened? **

_

* * *

You never listen to me  
You cannot look me in the eyes  
Now you struggle to see  
Why its so easy to push me aside  
I no longer believe that you were ever on my side  
How could you know what I need?  
When I'm the last thing on your mind. _

So disconnected, going through the motions again.  
So disconnected, everything goes over you head  
So disconnected, you got me hanging by a thread  
So disconnected, when will this cycle end?

You don't really know me  
I don't think you ever even tried  
We're on the same routine  
and you say you never have the time  
Who do you want me to be?  
Do you want me in your life?  
I feel so incomplete, you left me to far behind.

To out of touch, out of touch to touch you.

Its too hard to just move on.  
Its easier said then done.

* * *

"Sang"

The young blond boy quivered silently at the sound of his name, or at least, the name he was given by the cruel man. He confined his tears tightly inside his cerulean eyes. His stomach churned inside until he felt sick. He began shivering vigorously, automatically dropping the small sharpened tree branch he held in his hand.

A sharp pain struck the bone thin boy stiffly on his back. He yelped loudly, standing up immediately as he rubbed the spot on his back that had just been whipped. He backed up fearfully, looking at the ground in shame. His eyes gleamed a silver colour in the dark candle-lit room. Nothing could ever force him to look upon the frightening older man who glared at him with whip in hand.

"Sang" the deep voice called out again. "What have I told you about drawing in my home?" his question boomed unnecessarily across the room.

The blond sighed, but nevertheless recited the same phrase for possibly the hundredth time in his small lifetime. He hid his face behind the short bangs that just met his eyes now and choked out: "Paint is bad, timber is good." The actual statement itself was much longer with several other larger words that he didn't quite comprehend at his young age. So he simply shortened it, mainly out of annoyance for repeating it so many times by now.

The man however, did not look satisfied. "How am I going to make you remember this? Do I need to punish you?" he threatened. The tears the small boy was previously holding back started pouring out at that instant. His high pitched screams only seemed to further anger the older man. "Quit being a girl and take it like a man. You might as well grow your hair out at this rate!" the man exclaimed, chuckling at his own comment as he chased the boy.

The rest of the night was a chase for Deidara's life. He was almost certain he was to actually die that night.

The next day he woke up, unaware of where he was, but apparently, he was saved.

* * *

He knew he was starting new now, it was going to be different, better even, but he still couldn't shake his fears, habits and restrictions from before. The man who saved him was much less frightening. The man always wore a smile on his face, for one, but it wasn't just that. He was tall, thin, clear skinned, he didn't reek of alcohol, and for some reason, anyone could feel safe around him. He wore a headband on his forehead with the villages symbol on it and a large vest. 

It was an awkward relationship in the beginning, neither of the two in which would talk to each other. The older man would smile, and the blond boy would bashfully stare at him at a loss for what to say or feel. The man would leave him some prepared food each morning and with a wave, he'd leave, not returning until promptly at twilight. The man would return at night and make sure the blond boy would fall asleep safely in the bed he prepared. This became routine for about the first month or so.

The blond boy longed to draw like he'd usually do, but the restrictions he used to live with prohibited him doing so, and therefore he was still frightened. But this scared him the most, the act of never being able to express himself again just because he feared what others would think or what would happen to him. He wouldn't allow this to happen.

The blond was much more eager one morning to finish his breakfast. He patiently awaited the man to take his leave, restlessly shaking. Once the man was out of sight, the boy scurried outside. His hibernation inside the house made him highly affected by the sun's bright rays. It was like he was experiencing the outdoor nature and air for the first time all over again.

Nevertheless he sprinted for the nearest tree in hope of finding a nice pile of dirt to sketch on, but instead, he found that it had rained the previous night, and all that was left was a messy puddle of mud. The boy frowned upon the sight, but hopelessly, he began sprinting ideas in his head. Anything for the art.

The man returned again that night, only this time to find that the boy was gone. He allowed himself to stay calm, although he had to ponder as to where he could have ran off to, he never left the house since the day he brought him here.

As if the boy was reading his mind, he heard the front door open and shut swiftly. The blond boy strolled lazily over to the man, head down. What the man saw, made him laugh. The blond was covered head to toe in thick dried out layers of _mud._

The man laughed at the boy's usually neat short and shaggy blond hair that had been transformed into a deep brown spiky mess.

He smiled. "Deidara" he said suddenly, earning him a perplexed look from the blond.

"Well, I need to call you something, don't I? Do you like it? I can pick something else if you'd like" he questioned.

The boy nodded his head several times approvingly, and he himself even giggled. The man continued smiling. "Well alright _Deidara_, let's get you washed up. I hadn't realized you had such a thing for mud"

Deidara searched his pockets and carefully pulled out a small dried out object. It was a small clay figure he made out of the mud, a small bird to be precise. The man was incredibly surprised at all the amazing detail the small artist put into it, and with just a pile of mud! Still, he was truly impressed, causing another smile to plaster on his face.

"I never knew you were such the artist, Deidara-Kun" he noted, patting the boy's dirt encrusted head. Deidara smiled brightly.

As he promised, the man gave Deidara a long bath, scrubbing hard and wondering just how in the world this boy could have gotten every inch of him covered in mud. He never realized how bone thin the boy was- he took a mental note to feed him more often.

He stopped at the sight of the boy's hands.

He'd seen them before, and always attempted to ignore them, but now they were placed right in front of him, and the boy was too busy splashing around to notice his obvious stares. The mouths on his hands were closed, but once in a while a tongue would loll lazily around the rim of the 'lips'. The man shivered. The weirdest thing about it, was that he found large amounts of dirt stored inside them too. Had Deidara been trying to feed them?

His mind filled with many questions about how life must have been like for him before he came.

Suddenly, a large splash soaked away his thoughts, and a set of blue orbs taunted him innocently. He smiled.

Either way, those hands...this boy would make a good shinobi.

* * *

**Six Years Later.**

"What are we doing here?" the now eleven year old Deidara asked. His foster father simply replied "We're on a mission of course" with a smile. Deidara rolled his eyes playfully. "I knew that, but why are we _here_?" he asked. His father sighed. "The mission was assigned to go to Konoha, that's all" he answered the best he could.

Deidara could only shrug it off, returning to play with a ball of clay absently.

He had grown only slightly in the last five years. He remained short and naive with too much childish charm left in him to this date. Even after already graduating from the Ninja Academy at age ten, he still liked to think that he would go on missions to save a pretty princess from the cruel captives of a dark dragon, and he was the handsome knight. Yes, for a shinobi, he had an overly active imagination, and sometimes his father wondered if he'd ever grow up.

It was challenging to get mad at the blue eyed boy, and that may be an obstacle for him as a shinobi. His father often worried he would never be taken seriously. Nevertheless, Deidara proved to be a smart boy, even if his skepticism was...different. He passed the academy with relative ease, and he seemed to be willing to be a successful shinobi, even if he had other things in mind.

Deidara wanted to be an artist. He put in extravagant effort to make that point clear to anyone who knew him now. He seemed to easily pick up the habit of sculpting, and although it became inconvenient and messy, he did have a phenomenal talent at it, and no one could deny it.

The blond continued picking around with his clay as they walked to the village's entrance. His father talked to the guards at the front, and he followed closely behind as they advanced to the gate. Once inside the village hidden in the leaves, Deidara put away his clay in a small tan burlap bag that hung off his shoulder, meeting his hip.

Eager over nothing but a mere D-Ranked mission, Deidara still bounced around the town. His father chuckled slightly. Deidara has always had tons of energy and drive lately, even over the smallest things, all and all, the boy seemed to enjoy the tiniest things in life nowadays. That was the leading reason he knew he'd become a great shinobi someday.

* * *

Deidara had run around the village all day, constantly keep at least two steps ahead of his jounin-level father. He run up, practice a kick or two in the air, or perhaps throw a perfect punch to a nearby object, and then slow down again to make sure his father was still right behind him waiting.

The pair finally approached a large white building that could be seen past another black bar gate. As they got closer, several other older off-white houses could be seen behind the white house. Altogether the whole place looked out of place in the village, it was too fancy.

Anticipation growing, Deidara quickly snatched the package from his father, and while avoiding the man's protesting yells, he sprinted to wards the gate playfully, giggling.

Once he arrived at the gate, he realized he had a predicament. The gate was locked, of course.

Feeling defeated, Deidara slumped over the bars, grabbing on to one with his free hand. But from the other side of the gate, he could hear quiet footsteps crossing the perfectly landscaped grass. It was a girl.

She was defiantly younger then him, but she was about the same height since Deidara was short for his age. Her hair was about the same length also. She strolled around what looked like a court yard, carrying a faded purple blanket. She looked to be waiting for something, or looking.

She didn't seem to notice him as he waved.

"Hey!" Deidara cried out. The girl instantly turned in his direction, startled. Deidara smiled. He liked the way she walked towards him, it was so graceful and pretty, it was like she was dancing. His heart jumped, maybe she was- "Hey, are you a princess?!"

The girl looked taken aback. She grabbed onto her blanket tighter. "Ano...no" she managed to say, with difficulty.

Deidara frowned, his forehead crinkled. "Well you sure look like a princess!" he said excitedly. He meant it. He envied her smooth cobalt hair and small nose. He concluded the prettiest thing of all, were her sparkling unique white eyes.

She began to feel uncomfortable with the stranger smiling at her, as she was not accustomed to so much positive attention in such a small amount of time. Suddenly, he remembered what he was sent here for, and his face lit up again. He managed to squeeze the small package in between two of the narrow black bars. "Here you go!" he said, satisfied. "That's for you, mission accomplished!".

The smallest hint of a smile spread on her face. "Ah, thank you?" she replied bashfully.

"No, thank you!" Deidara said. The girl remained still shyly. She was too young to be willing to talk to strangers as easily as he was, but he still wanted to talk to her. "Yeah" he simply said.

"Yeah" she mumbled, barely audible.

"Yeah"

They both remained in the awkward silence, until he thought of something to ask. "What's your name?" he asked curiously, hoping she wouldn't be mad at him for asking.

"Hinata" she said.

"Hinata-Hime" Deidara whispered, trying out the name to see if it suited. He seemed to like it.

"What?" she questioned nervously.

"Hinata-Hime, I like it" he said melodically.

She smiled more noticeably, so that Deidara could indicate it easily now. "Oh!" he jumped. "I have to go, I'll be around the village for a while, I'll see you soon Hinata-Hime!" he waved as he left. Hinata only gripped her blanket tighter.

At that moment, Deidara changed his mind about what he liked best about her. He liked her smile the most.

* * *

They were all proved wrong when they thought Deidara couldn't hold anymore excitement inside of him. He was always wide awake at six in the morning. Sharp. He would already be prepared to go, jumping on his father's bed ordering him to wake up. He'd eat his breakfast eagerly and he'd whine every time his father told him to slow down before he got sick. They fell into a separate routine here in Konoha. He'd take care of the business matter's with the Hokage while Deidara would run around the village happily, always stopping by the "castle".

Today the boy wore casual attire, still completed with his Iwagakure headband. He grabbed a jacket on the way out and ran ahead of his father. He was bouncier then usual mainly because he received a small sum of money from his father to spend. The blond smirked to himself. He recalled he was meant to use this money to buy him some lunch, but he had other plans.

Shivering a tad, Deidara walked through the lively village path. There was a slight chill in the air, and Deidara hadn't quite adjusted yet to the cooler temperature of this village. He treaded on though, his course set on a nearby food stand. He asked politely for two dangos, and skipped off quickly after receiving them.

On his way to his destination, he paused in an extremely cared field. The vast tall green grass swayed majestically, and several hundreds of lavender lilacs bloomed around them. Deidara's face lit up, immediately running into the valley. He carefully held both dangos in one hand while the other picked several of the flowers. Proud of his thoughtfulness, he proceeded.

To his amazing luck, the girl was sitting out in the courtyard once again, starring blankly at the garden that surrounded the yard. She still held on possessively to the same purple blanket. Deidara wondered if she was simply tense from her princess duties.

"Hi Hinata-Hime!" he called out cheerfully. She didn't turn around as quickly as he wanted. She looked frightened. "Uh hey, yeah" he mumbled, at a loss for words again. He didn't know how to speak to a princess.

"Please let me in Princess! I have food for us!" he pleaded. Slowly, she got up. She hesitated, looked behind her, and then moved on. She let the stranger inside. He handed the Hyuuga her share of the dango he purchased, the girl smiled gratefully.

"Oh, for you" he mentioned, handing over the lavender lilacs he picked earlier. "Do you like them Hinata-Hime? I thought they matched your eyes"

She blushed. He was so kind to her, but why?

"What's your name?" she asked quietly.

"Deidara." His eyes widened at the girl's question. He felt honored for some reason, as if he deserved some award for her asking for his name. They shared their food together silently, both somewhat enjoying company, even if it was as awkward as it was. Even though her life was short lived so far, Hinata was not used to others enjoying her around and was used to silence or others ignoring her.

Deidara, however, was different. He almost always had to fill every period of silence with senseless chatter or action. The silence annoyed him.

"So Hinata-Hime, how old are you? Is your favorite colour purple? Do you have a big royal family?" he asked. The young Hyuuga looked surprised at the sudden rain of personal questions. Showered with this kind of attention though, she couldn't help but attempt to go along with the conversation, she felt slightly less timid around this blond boy.

"I'm eight" she began. The boy looked intrigued with every word she uttered, so she went on. "I guess I really like purple, white is nice too though" she said, gripping onto her blanket. "M-my family is b-big I-I guess" she trailed off. She was hoping he wouldn't ask more about her family.

"You're only eight? I thought you looked older!" She sighed, he was content enough with the family topic for now.

"H-how old are you?" she asked, she found herself becoming just as interested in the boy as he was with her.

"I just turned eleven" he said, smiling.

"And you're a ninja?" she asked a little more enthusiastically.

"Uh huh" he said proudly, nodding his head. He crossed his legs, rocking back and forth gently. "It's pretty alright I guess. I get to travel a lot and stuff" he trailed off. "Are you going to be one too Hinata-Hime?"

"Oh" she mouthed. Her headed tilted downward. "Y-y-yes" she stuttered. The young Iwa-nin frowned. "Do you not want to be one?" he asked sternly. "I-I d-don't know" she muttered, looking behind her again. Deidara continued frowning at the girl. "You know" he began. "I really want to be an artist, but I was kind of forced to be a shinobi. I suppose it was because my chakra levels are high, and I was meant to be a good shinobi, but all I really want to do is make great art" he admitted easily.

"Well, maybe you can do both" she suggested. Hey, that's an idea. "Yeah, you're right! You're too smart Hinata-Hime" he approved. She faintly smiled.

Deidara exhaled deeply. He flung out his arms over his head and crashed onto the grass beneath him, on his back with legs spread. Hinata imitated his action, lying beside him. They stared at the fluffy clouds overhead, each pointing out what shapes they could make of them. Deidara looked over in the girl's direction. She seemed to be occupied thinking of something.

Finally, she spoke her mind. "Deidara" she swallowed after speaking his name. "Why are you here anyways?" she asked. She didn't intent for it to sound mean, but she was confused.

"Well I've never met a princess before" he replied. Hinata gave him a cute, perplexed look. "But I'm not a true Princess" she mumbled. She was an heiress, not a Princess, but she often felt like a fair maiden trapped in a tower. She was too young to understand just what an heiress was though, and sometimes, deep down, she liked to pretend she was kind loving princess. She smiled. "You're silly Deidara"

He shrugged. She wasn't too convincing that she _wasn't_ a princess.

Suddenly, the Hyuuga heiress stood up, alertness was written across her features. "You have to go. My family is back, and I'll be in bad trouble" she whispered, almost childishly. Deidara sat up, confused, but recognizing the urgency. "Can I come back someday?" he asked. The girl nodded. Satisfied, he left while still sneaking one last glance at the 'princess'.

* * *

He did come back.

Every time he came he'd be accompanied with another purple lilac to add to her growing collection. He'd come whenever he had the chance. He'd usually pass by everyday, but he learned to come only when the girl sat outside, which wasn't as often as he desired. In fact, it was pretty rare to see her outside and alone, so he'd simply put the flower near the gate entrance and try again the next day.

Unfortunately, like all routine situations in Deidara's life, things changed.

For one: this mission he was sent on in Konoha turned out to be less then the innocent task he expected. His foster father was assassinated in the middle of a delivery, and Deidara managed to escape. He had once again managed to save his life, but he didn't feel so lucky. Two: Hinata's father had found out about their secret meetings, but whether that was good or bad, Deidara did not know yet.

He was lost again. He wanted to become a great shinobi now, in memory of his foster father's dreams, but there was no way in doing that if he could not find a way to return to Iwagakure. On the other hand, he wouldn't mind staying here in Konoha as he grew such a strong attachment to it in a shorter time then Iwa.

He got his wish.

* * *

They were back for him. The anonymous murders of his late foster father returned the very next day. Deidara never would have understood coming to Konoha was such a bad thing, but their villages were enemies, and they were after them all along.

But why? His father was nicer to him then anyone else, and he himself was nothing more then a genin. He didn't stand a chance.

He heard the two hunter like nins whisper to each other. His blue eyes gleamed in fear. The only thing he was capable now, was to run, and that is exactly what he decided to do. Not once deciding to glance back, he ran. Unfortunately, he wasn't the fastest of shinobi, and he was easily caught.

He screamed for help. The two Konoha nin approached him dangerously. He was a sitting duck, it would be too easy to kill a boy of his thin structure, why do it? The two began playing with him, in a twisted way. They whipped him several times, listening to the boy cry and yelp in pain.

Deidara endured the intensifying pain. He held onto his last string of hope, and for him, hope apparently came in the form of a princess.

"Hey!" he heard her tiny voice shout.

Then he passed out cold.

* * *

**One month later.**

Everything was warm. He felt flushed as he attempted to open his eyes. The first thing his eyes met was the large white blanket he was wrapped in, which could possibly explain his feverish temperature, but then his eyes quickly adverted to the young Hyuuga leaning above him, anxiously noticing the signs of his awakening.

"Hinata-Hime" he whispered weakly. "I remember..."

He was interrupted by a door slamming into the perpendicular wall. A taller adult male walked into the room. He had long dark brown hair, his face was solid with a mean streaked look, but he had the same eyes as Hinata. He looked down monotonously at the blond. A slight nod could be detected if you looked close enough.

"We'll keep him around for you Hinata" he said quietly, looking directly at the smaller Hyuuga. "You need a companion, he'll do for now, if he obeys." This time he shot a look at the boy, who strained to sit up straight, nodding. "I'd pay for him, but since he has no family, he should just be grateful I'm letting him stay." he glared stubbornly at the boy. "No funny business" he hissed under his breath to the boy. He left just as quickly as he entered.

Deidara frowned forlornly. He felt a wave of depression surpass over him like a thunderstorm cloud following his around. Once again though, he found sunlight from the girl sitting next to him, smiling weakly and nervously.

"You saved me" he whispered. She turned red, looking away. Her father would have to get some credit for that part as well, but it was difficult for her to convince him to help the boy, but she decided not to mention all of that.

"You really are my princess" he said. The depression in his voice was easily noticed, and it saddened Hinata slightly. He looked serious. "One day, I'll be your knight in shining armor, and I'll come to your rescue." he whispered again. Hinata didn't know what to say.

"I didn't know you didn't have a family" she squeaked. "It's okay, I never knew them" he mumbled weakly. Being young, she didn't know how to handle the situation in the mature manner she wanted. Deidara caught a glimpse of the calender behind the girl. He had been knocked out for quite sometime now. "How long has it been?" he asked softly in a low groan.

Hinata began counting on her fingers. "A lot of days!" she whispered sharply. "Niisan says over a month" she mumbled unknowingly. "You've woke up a couple of times, but you couldn't remember a thing. Then you'd fall back asleep and not wake up for a long time. I was worried!" she shrugged, gripping on the edge of the bed Deidara lied on. The blond sighed and thudded onto his pillow again. "That's a shame, I missed my own birthday" he muttered. He didn't look as upset as he said.

The Hyuuga opened her mouth to say something but paused when she realized the boy had already fallen asleep again. Gently, with a fragment of hesitation, she kissed the boy's forehead. When she got hurt, someone would kiss the spot she got hurt and told her to feel better. Her father said he was going through a "depression" and that "there was something wrong with his brain." She didn't see the logic of it all, but she hoped kissing the closest thing to his brain would make him feel better.

* * *

**One month later.**

Deidara got over his depression slowly, but surely. He'd wake up every once in a while like Hinata said, but every time he got up things progressed better. His Hyuuga owners decided to give him some space, but all he wanted was their company. Eventually he got up for good, feeling refreshed, but slightly changed from the experience. Overall, Deidara could be compared to a spring, even when he was put down, he'd always bounce back up.

His main threat to get him up was because Hinata's father (Hiashi was his name he had learned) continuously complained that he was not going to live here to spend his whole time lying around, another reason was that he discovered Hinata's birthday was this month. He had already missed his twelfth birthday and there was no way he would miss her's too.

Deidara soon learned that if Hinata was princess, then Hiashi was king, and such a dominant tyrant was to be obeyed. His first impression of the Hyuuga was that he was incredibly selfish. The Hyuuga clan was the wealthiest among all of the people in Konohagakure, and it seemed to rub off on most of them. They all were similarly stubborn and snobby, in his mind. With the exception, of course of Hinata. He was treated like long lost cousin to the family, he was often ignored, he wasn't a slave, but he was to obey every rule of the family.

Hinata's little sister was kinder then most. Hanabi was her name. She at least talked to him more then anyone in the mansion sized house. She was a lot more sociable then her older sister even though she was younger and simply just liked playing with him by showing her various toys and ninja weapons. Deidara often got annoyed with her after a while, but he felt forced to get along with everyone in the clan, and compared to before, this was the biggest family he has ever technically been a part of.

Deidara found himself searching around the large home one day out of pure curiosity. He tried not to wonder to far in hope that he wouldn't be scowled at for looking in any unknown prohibited areas he may encounter. He only glanced in the series of rooms in the area to not take any extra risks. Finally he spotted Hinata's room. He only sneaked a short peek inside, and innocently turned away once again, only to see that the girl was standing next to him on the other side of where he stood.

Startled, Deidara jumped slightly, his shinobi reflexes kicked in high gear. She stared at him oddly, blanket still in hand. Did she take that thing everywhere? Hinata had recently been training hard in order to become a shinobi while he was in bed, and he questioned why she still carried a blanket around. He decided not to ask, but instead, attempting to think of another topic. "You're birthday is coming up soon Hinata-Hime!" Duh. She nodded. "Is there anything you want?" he asked, calmer.

She looked like she might have put some thought into it, but she still quickly answered "I don't know." He couldn't really blame her though, with this much money, she probably didn't need anything else. "Hinata-Hime, do you like your family? You seem to stutter and become shy and nervous whenever they are mentioned." he asked suddenly. He mentally slapped himself for going out of line asking her that, but what's done has been done now.

The Hyuuga opened her mouth to say something, but instead grabbed the boy's hand and led him into her room, closing the door behind her. She jumped onto the edge of her large king size bed, Deidara followed, leaning against the bed post. "My family is strict. No one talks to me, but I'm still talked about a lot. I don't get it" she explained. Deidara stared at her with wide eyes. "So this is why I'm here. You're dad wants to make sure I keep an eye on you? Does he think you behave badly?" he wondered out loud. She did a semi-nod. "I think so, but I'm still not sure. You're the only one who talks to me anymore. Everyone else thinks I'm useless"

Deidara snapped back. "You are not useless! You saved me! You are a princess, and don't let anyone tell you different!" his voice was a tad too loud, so he calmed down, muttered a polite apology for the outburst.

"Let's go do something" Hinata suggested uncharacteristically. She smiled, dragging her blond companion by the hand again.

* * *

The rest of the week was, for lack of better words, nice. As restricted as the Deidara felt in the Hyuuga home, nothing could - or really wanted- to stop him from being with his Princess. Together they did meaningless activities that only children could find any real pleasure in. Most of their time was spent outdoors, away from other members of the family. They would try to guess the names of random passersby, chase the rabbits, and make ice cream out of whatever materials they could find. 

Deidara was a slave to her. He really had no choice as he felt like he was constantly being watched. Whatever Hinata wanted to do, he would gladly do along with her. He liked to think of himself as more of a knight then peasant though, and something inside of him enjoyed the chase of it all.

To her father's request, Deidara tried helping Hinata perfect her shuriken throws. He patiently taught her the best he could, although he thought he was too young and inexperienced to be a proper teacher, and although Hinata was a hard worker, she wasn't the top class student. Deidara thought she was too young to be so worried about shinobi stuff already, but then again, the greatest shinobi were genins at the age of six. Maybe he was just being protective.

Nevertheless, he could sense that her father was pushing her beyond reason for her to become a great kunoichi. He declared the training session over.

"Hinata-Hime, would you like me to teach you how to make sculpture out of clay instead?" he asked. She smiled. It was spoken on her face that she preferred clay to training significantly at the moment.

He smiled warmly. Hinata couldn't help but notice how mature he has become since he began living with her, even if he was still a child, she felt like he was years wiser then her. Her father could do that to people (her cousin for sure), but it's probably just the amount he experienced in his life already, he's seen much more in those three extra years. He still looked young though, and his childish side shined through with the eagerness he had when pulling out his clay. Now it was Hinata's turn to smile.

It only took a matter of minutes before he completed a perfectly detailed bird sculpture, if Hinata would have blinked, she would miss the whole thing. He held up the finished masterpiece proudly right in front of Hinata's face. "Do you like it?" he asked joyfully. "It's cute" Hinata said. Deidara dropped it in her lap, pursing out his lips cutely. "Then it's for you"

* * *

"Happy Ninth Birthday Hinata-Hime!"

Deidara pounded on the door loudly. He was personally assigned as the heiress' wake up call, and it was just want he needed. He knocked on her door crazily until the Hyuuga came out, fully dressed for the special occasion.

She wore a frilly light blue dress, with a blue ribbon tied into a bow in her hair to compliment it. Her eyes sparkled with hope, hope that today would be fun, exciting, different, but of course, that would only be possible with Deidara.

The blond was in awe of the adorable white eyed girl. If she couldn't look anymore like a princess, he didn't know what to think. "You look pretty" he blurted out suddenly like a desperate kindergartner. Her face illuminated red five shades darker. "Thank you" she said innocently.

He tempted to grab her hand like she would do to him sometimes, but he refrained from any trouble. He wasn't allowed for any "funny business".

"So what would you like to do today?" he asked. She seemed to have ignored him, instead she searched her room for a few moments, and returned with a small object in her hands. "Do you like it?" she asked, handing it to Deidara.

He examined it closely. It was a clay bird, or at least an attempted one. The left wing was lopsided - that bird was flying nowhere- and the beak and eyes were smashed together and one of the legs was broken, but it was still obviously a bird, and it was admirable. He smiled. "I love it!" he cried. She smiled. "Then that one is yours" she said, giggling softly. "Now we both have one"

"That we do" Deidara agreed cheerfully. His face turned slightly serious again. Hinata finally noticed that he had something hidden behind his back, the usual notification that he had a gift for her. "Here you go Princess, I didn't know what else to get you." He handed her the gift as he stared at the floor, tracing his foot back and forth restlessly.

There was only a single red ribbon obstructing the gift, but otherwise she could tell it was another clay sculpture. Cautiously, she removed the bow making sure she didn't break the present. The sculpture was of...her. No doubt he had spent several nights on this, she guessed weeks. It was almost a perfect replica. She even had the same innocent gleam in her eyes. For some reason, she thought she looked older in this particular project, but she appreciated it nevertheless. To Deidara, a work of art was the best gift he could manage to give.

Acting on impulse, he hugged the Hyuuga tightly, who hesitantly hugged back. It was a short hug, but a tight and caring one. Hinata smiled. "You know Deidara, I'm glad I got to know you, and I'm glad it's you that my dad picked to have you stay with me. If it was anyone else, I would have no friends." she admitted. He smiled, feeling once again like he's been truly honored.

"I have to go see my father now, but maybe later we can have some cake" she said before leaving in her little dress.

"Sounds sweet" he answer hopefully.

* * *

She hasn't come back yet. Why hasn't she come back yet? Where is she?

He has waiting for his Princess to return for seven hours now, and the eerie silence of the home was driving him insane. He walked off his impatient frustration until he heard the voice of Hyuuga Hiashi.

"Find her now!" he demanded. Deidara peered around the corner in order to see who he was talking to. There were several masked men in the room, all in uniform. "How could you even let this happen?!" he screamed at what Deidara recognized to be the ANBU troops. There was a large lump in Deidara's throat now. Something went terribly wrong.

Just at that moment, Hyuuga Hiashi charged out of the room, eying the blond as he passed. Without turning to look at the boy he said: "Hinata is gone. She was unprotected and now she's not coming back. You can leave." Deidara watched in horror as the man walked away.

The word that hurt him the most was "unprotected." He felt that he had failed his duties as her knight, but he had no idea what happened to her in the first place.

His eyes welled up with tears, but none of them fell down his face. He had to run. He had to fulfill his old foster father's wishes. He was going to become a strong shinobi and he was going to rescue his Princess no matter what it took, because at this point, this was his life's sole purpose.

He ran as fast as he could to Iwagakure.

* * *

_Deidara went back to Iwagakure, joining a three-man team and easily becoming a chuunin the same year. He was happy with his progress, but empty. His passion for art only grew stronger, and many became annoyed by his endless ranting about it. Of course, it was nothing more then an excuse for him to keep his thoughts together. _

He had overheard information in a local village that Hyuuga Hinata had returned safely to Konoha a while back. The boy thought he would be happy at this news, but he wasn't the one who saved her, and he still wasn't at her side. _

* * *

_

**Four Years Later **

To put it simply, Deidara had changed much more noticeably in the couple of year, physically and personality wise. His blond hair has grown past his broader shoulders and was kept in a low ponytail. He was growing expeditionary as well, but as always, he remained thin. 

He was sixteen now, so he obviously faced the obnoxious puberty stages as the young man that he was. His voice often cracked, he was getting taller by the day, he gained a certain cockiness in his attitude that was sure to piss off anyone older then him, but with it all he was simply hoping the development of a more muscular build then the skimpy one he has been stuck with all along.

His art had taken a whole new level. After becoming a Jounin, he wondered through different countries on assigned tasks. He had found a way to manipulate his chakra into his sculptures to create various degrees of highly dangerous explosions. Now, a newly hired terrorist bomber, he was free to put his "art" to use when needed while earning the needed money.

There was nothing Deidara enjoyed more now then his art. He found himself easily slipping from social contact with others and all together forgetting about people in general. When they were around, he wouldn't shut up, but without anyone, he felt lonely. He had his art, most people just let him down. At least he could say that he tried. Alas, he was still young, and he often felt lonely.

His life was fairly basic. He slept wherever he could, ate sparingly- a main attribute to his thin attire- and would continue producing the artistic explosives he was hired to make. Simple enough, but not enough for the young artist.

Lately he had been troubled. Ever since that damn raven haired man showed up at his job. Deidara didn't know anything about this mysterious man, but he did know he knew something about Deidara, and he wanted the blond to come with him. But why? Deidara certainly wasn't accepting the request without answers first. Sadly, the man was stubborn. He only showed up once, but Deidara counted on the promise of his return.

But now he has been having nightmares each night, and it was always about something different. Sometimes they were simple horrible flashbacks, other times it was an alternate twists to events he has lived, where everything was better but eventually was shattered before his eyes, and sometimes he'd see that man that intruded in his job that one day, and he'd suddenly be consumed in darkness.

* * *

Deidara was pestered, no longer able to focus. He had been daydreaming of something bigger, better. He wanted that adventure he desired when younger. On cue, that damned mysterious man showed up, this time accompanied with two other strange men. 

Before Deidara could assume a fighting stance, the man spoke. "I have an offer for you" he said. Deidara stumbled slightly over his confusion, but recovered quickly, feeling embarrassed to show clumsiness around what seemed to be three dangerous men. Deidara crossed his arms over his chest angrily, signaling he was at least paying attention.

"Our leader has requested that you join the Akatsuki" the short raven haired man said. Deidara stepped back in surprise. The Akatsuki? The most feared _criminal_ organization in the land? What do that want with him? Deidara wasn't an angel, but he wasn't ready to be associate with that bunch. There was no way he would lets these...creeps...decide his fate. He was sick of it.

"Akatsuki huh? Hell if I care about that! Don't interfere with my enjoyment of art!" he exclaimed.

The strange hunched over man spoke next. "So I really have to make this _brat_ my partner?" he muttered in his raspy low voice. Deidara groaned, feeling insulted even if he didn't care for what they thought about him. He was only trying to show his disapprovement. The man looked away, disinterested. "He's got spunk, but he's the kind that ends up getting himself killed before you know it" he said.

Getting himself killed? Is that what he has come to? The more he thought about it the more he realized how truly ruthless he has become. He was a rouge ninja with no home and no care for anything but his art.

The mysterious short black haired man spoke in defense of the blond. "It's the leader's orders. His abilities will serve our cause..." he spoke quietly, but still in Deidara's earshot.

"You know my abilities already? Who are you anyways?" Deidara demanded. Furious now, he could feel his fist curling up, the mouths on his palms licked his lips. How much did this damn man know about him anyways, and how long have they been watching?

The tallest blue skinned man spoke up then. "You have been involved in anti-nationalist terrorist cells in surrounding countries, causing a number of explosions. Correct?" he said. Deidara felt himself growing more confused and annoyed with each correct word the man uttered. "For what reason would a rogue ninja like yourself do such?" he asked.

"Reason?" Deidara began. "Why would I need one of those?" he asked. The cloaked men remained silent. "I merely take on contracts to blow things up, with my art that is, hm" he explained, not liking the word "terrorist" attached to him.

The hunched man seemed curious now. "Your art?" he asked, odd masked face crinkled.

Deidara searched his bag, pulling out a small clay spider sculpture. "Behold!" he said as he revealed the object. "The product of pursuing refined line work matched with two-dimensional deformation!" he explained. "This is my art" he said with pride, not being able to stop, he continued. "But my art doesn't end here. None of my works are static. When they have physical form, they are a little more then just models, hm" he paused. "But this explodes" he said eagerly.

"Art...is a bang." he announced. The three other man glared back at him, obviously annoyed by his cockiness like every other person that witnessed his speech about his art.

After a few moments of silence, the black haired man stepped forward. "Enough already, I'll take care of this" he stated. Deidara, alert now, stood his ground. Suddenly, the man's black eyes snapped shut, once opened revealed the swapped colour. Menacing red eyes glared back at the blue eyed art enthusiast. He couldn't help but be overwhelmed with an uncomfortable fear in confusion of those murderous eyes.

"You want to fight me?" he asked. The man didn't show any acknowledgment, but simply replied "If I defeat you, then you'll join the Akatsuki" he said coldly. Deidara growled fiercely. "Don't underestimate me, or my art!" he yelled.

* * *

He had another horrible nightmare last night. It all started again with those damn sharingan eyes, and suddenly _she_ would be there as a fallen victim to his own works of art. There would be a small tiara in her hand as she lied there lifeless. Deidara would be in a knight's armor, but it would suddenly break in front of his eyes, falling to the ground in ashes. 

Then he would hear her voice calling for him, blaming him.

And every time he woke up, he swore he could still hear it. Every time he woke up, he would long to go see her. He has only been part of the Akatsuki for a week, and it wasn't anything it owned up to be. Deidara thought it would have always been easier to just stay in Konoha. It would just have been easier. He could have lived with his Princess and have his happily ever after. It's not like he was that much older then her. Of course, he was never the one that wanted to be bounded by fate, and a certain king wouldn't have allowed it.

But now...now he was a rogue, a missing-nin with no ties or reasoning. Now, he was no longer bound by the family, and now he could claim his princess...that is...if she excepted him. What would his princess think if her knight in shining armor was a more of a dragon now?

Deidara would just have to go and find out.

* * *

**There will be a second part to this, not the past, but more of a "what if" type of thing.  
It will have tons of DeiHina fluff, promise. :) **

-Megzx 


	2. Chapter 2

Disconnected

**Why doesn't she see?  
I will have to stand by her side.  
It doesn't matter.  
No one will hurt her.  
****

* * *

**

_How can you see into my eyes like open doors?  
Leading you down into my core  
Where I've become so numb  
Without a soul  
My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold  
Until you find there and lead it back home _

Wake me up inside  
Wake me up inside  
Call my name and save me from the dark  
Bid my blood to run  
Before I come undone  
Save me from the nothing I've become

Now that I know what I'm without  
You can't just leave me  
Breathe into and make me real  
Bring me to life

Frozen inside without your touch  
Without your love, darling  
Only you are the life among the dead

All of this time, I can't believe I couldn't see  
Kept in the dark, but you were there in front of me  
I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems  
Got to open my eyes to everything  
Without a thought, without a voice, without a soul  
Don't let me die here  
There must be something more  
Bring me to life

* * *

"Hyuuga Hinata please" 

The greeter of the door gave the stranger a suspicious look. How would he trust such a man talking to the Hyuuga heiress? He looked too old to be friends with her, too lanky to be healthy, and too woman like, save his deep voice. His blond hair could rival the length of Hinata's, and it was tied in a half ponytail. He was wearing raddy black pants and a too tight black shirt to look descent. Plus, the man was shaking so violently! The way he continuously kept looking behind him made Neji Hyuuga believe he was running from the police nins.

Neji raised an eyebrow, not satisfied with the man in front of him. "Sorry, she's not here" he lied quickly. The blond went to protest, but Neji quickly shut the door without another look. Deidara wasn't about to be defeated. He didn't run around for a year and a half to travel all the way to Konoha by himself to be denied like that, especially by such a girly looking man. (ah ha girlfight? XD)

Desperate for some way to get to the Princess that has haunted his nightmares, he searched around the familiar manor. It still looked like a castle to him as it was the largest place he has ever lived in. Much more home like then the Akatsuki lair.

He cringed to himself at the thought of what they'd do to him. He had left unannounced, and with a surprise clay clone "gift" he left behind in his place. He has been so scared he hasn't stopped shaking the whole trip to Konoha. His nerves haven't rested and he has been on constant alert. It was one thing to leave your village, but to leave a criminal organization...

He shook his head to dispel those vile thoughts, and attempted to focus on his purpose of leaving in the first place.

He remembered exactly which room belonged to her, believing that they haven't moved anything around, and headed to that part of the mansion. He attached his camera to his left eye, a useful tool he earned from his former job. He scoped the mansion, checking for every last Hyuuga that wandered the household.

That priss he met a few minutes ago was speaking to an elderly male of the house. Deidara had to wonder why he has never seen that boy during his stay at the house. Continuing his search, he found Hiashi Hyuuga napping on one of the many couches and an older looking Hanabi preparing dinner in the company of two elder woman.

He lost hope when he scanned the upper level of the home and found no one there. Where could she be? If only he would have bothered to check behind him first off, he would have picked up the chakra signature of the young chuunin hiding behind a nearby bush. Startled at the sight of her, he felt his heart flipped a few times before feeling like it completely shut down.

She wasn't starring at Deidara, but that only gave Deidara the advantage to observe her. He couldn't believe how much she has aged in his absence. Her cobalt colour hair extended to her mid back now and her white eyes were just as stunning as ever. Crouching, he couldn't make out her height, but he could still see an outline of her developed body from under her heavy sweater. Her skin had a healthy white mature glow to it that Deidara admired. She was the same Princess he awed over again and again. She was his reason.

But she was starring at something...or someone else. Her small mouth was left open, panting unevenly. He forehead was lined several tiny beads of sweat that indicated she must have been training hard. She gasped out of nowhere, blushing and hiding herself deeper into the shrubbery as a blond boy of her age came passing by. He was loud, lively, energetic, blond...he was... just like Deidara.

Deidara felt a tugging sensation in his heart. He recognized that innocent embarrassed look on her face. She loved that boy. She loved that boy who was alike Deidara in too many ways that possible. Was it a coincedence? Did that mean she forgot about him? Perhaps she was just looking for a replacement? Maybe she doesn't care at all. Either way, it was driving the long haired blond mad. He couldn't take it anymore.

"Hinata-Hime...?" he called out calmly, trying to not pose at a threat, which was difficult to do being in the Akatsuki now. That's why he chose to not wear the cloak, he was too new to the group to be recognized as one of them. Yet, the second the young Hyuuga made eye contact with him, she retaliated negatively, frightened beyond belief.

Deidara frowned, but kept his face gentle. He was a dragon, he was a rogue. He shouldn't be around a princess like her. That look she gave him took a stab to his heart a thousand times, but he persisted.

"Hinata...Hime..." he whispered, wanting to embrace her with every nerved fiber of his being. She looked like she has seen a ghost rather then an old friend. Confused, Deidara slowly inched closer, only to have the girl back away.

"H-h-how d-do you know m-my name?" she stuttered. Deidara raised an eyebrow. Where did she pick up that awful stutter? And what in the world is she talking about? How could she possibly forget him just like that? Deidara could barely stand the pain anymore. "You don't remember?" he asked. She looked away from him, not sure how to respond.

"Hinata-Hime, what happened to you?" he asked, upset. "W-what d-d-do you mean?" she asked, obviously unaware of what he spoke of. She was frightened by his sudden presence, he could tell by her backing away cautiously. She had her guard up, she didn't recognize him. Why? How?

Deidara stood up, throwing his arms in the air with rage. "How could this be happening to me!?" he yelled, pacing back and forth. He could feel the girl's stare bore a hole through his side and calmed down, not wanting to scare her any further. "Look I'm sorry if I scared you princess" he stopped at that last sentence. The girl gave him a strange look to the nickname. He mentally slapped himself for still calling her a "princess".

"I'll leave you alone, just pretend you never saw me. It will be for the best" he said. Before he turned to leave, he kneeled down again beside her, reaching for something in his bag. The young Hyuuga flinched as he pulled something from the bag, holding up her hand to guard herself. It wasn't until he saw what the object was that she left he guard down.

It was a clay flower, magnificently sculpted. The flower was an exact replica of the lilacs he used to give her, but he assumed she wouldn't remember that either. "You look more beautiful then ever...by that way, yeah" he said, disappearing instantly before Hiashi would intrude quietly, starring down at the girl in the backyard of the manor.

"Hanabi has prepared dinner" the father announced sternly. Hinata only nodded absently, half heartily even paying attention to what he said as she read the one simple note that was left along with the flower.

'_Your hopeful knight -Deidara'_

* * *

He laid on her rooftop, too hopeless to leave or act on anything else. The Akatsuki was bound to be looking for him anyways, they'd probably just kill him if they found him, so why do anything else? He hoped he wouldn't be noticed, but at that point he wouldn't care as long as it wasn't anyone he couldn't handle himself. 

Unconsciously, he started singing softly to himself. It was an old habit of his during all those years he was absent from the Hyuuga household. The singing calmed his nerves, almost eventually lolling himself to sleep. That is, until he realized he wasn't alone.

Swiftly, he sat up, urgent and alert to all around him. "Ano" he heard a soft whimper from behind. He turned to his fantastic utter relief to see Hinata before his own blue eyes. "I-I d-didn't mean t-to d-disturb you...s-sorry" she apologized timidly. Deidara blinked several times in silence before snapping out of his trance.

"How did you find me up here?" he asked. Hinata starred at her feet. "I-I-I suddenly r-recognized your c-chakra s-signature" she reported quietly. "A-and I-I also h-heard your s-singing from m-my room" she admitted as well. Suddenly she looked in the direction of the blond, swallowing a lump in her throat before summoning enough courage to continue.

"W-who a-are you?" she asked.

Deidara placed a pathetic smile on his face, ashamed that she truly did forget, but happy that she cared to remember. "Deidara" he replied, smirking now. The girl stood there frozen in position for several moments. Her face was blank, but Deidara was well aware she was concentrating. Finally, she frowned. "That flower" she whispered. "I remember the flower"

Confused, Deidara's eyebrows furrowing together. He didn't understand. Hinata walked forward only slightly, but enough for Deidara to detect. "I-I remember f-flowers, alot of t-them. I-I r-recall liking the p-person w-who g-gave them t-to m-me" she explained a little louder. "I-I'm p-pretty sure you w-were t-that p-person, b-but I-I don't know w-who you are"

Deidara sighed, slightly defeated. "Amnesia" he muttered. "Did your father ever say anything about that?" he asked. "No" Hinata replied immediately. This only further enraged Deidara. What else could it be? Unless her father simply didn't tell her. Surely no one would like memories of being kidnapped, but what about _their_ memories? They have vanished.

"Y-you are a g-good...a-at s-singing" she said shyly. Deidara suppressed a chuckle at her tomato red face. "I suppose I'm okay, but sculpting is my main passion" he explained...again. "I was originally named Sang by my first "owner's" wife because I used to sing I was really young" he explained. Hinata nodded, moving in closer. She felt comfortable around the young blond, and knowing that she trusted him in the past must have meant she could at least let her guard down.

_'You look more beautiful then ever...by the way, yeah'_

Hinata caught herself looking at her in the reflection on a window. If he really knew what she was like...weak with no backbone, he surely wouldn't think so highly for her. What did he see in her? She couldn't figure it out. This Deidara obviously knew more about her then even she did. Hinata stiffened.

"Something wrong Hinata-Hime?" he asked calmly. Suddenly, he felt the presence of another- the king. Hinata turned to warn him, but he was already gone. It was so silent in the night that she could even hear the soft constant breathing of her father who looked into the stillness of the night from outside her bedroom window, apparently searching for his eldest daughter. Hinata allowed herself to remain calm. She would simply tell her father that the reason for her absence was to train.

She heard the window shut, she allowed herself to breathe evenly again. That's when she realized she was alone, sitting on her roof. She wanted the blond man to return. She wanted him to be with her, to spend the whole night telling her things she never knew about herself. She wanted answers.

* * *

"Deidara?" she whispered hesitantly. Silence.

"Deidara?" she cried, a little louder. Still no response to the girl's dismay.

"Deidara!" she shouted. She touched her cheek that was now wet with her tears. She often cried easily, but this time she didn't know why.

Out of nowhere, she heard a massive swooping sound. Her hair blew behind her as the flaps continued. A large bird landed on the roof beside her. "Yes?" came the reply of the rider of the clay bird. Hinata's face lit up at the sight of her past friend in front of her. She was too busy awing over the brilliance of the large bird to notice Deidara offering her a hand.

Hinata starred innocently at the hand on his mouth, feeling strange overwhelming familiarness of it too be freaked out. "I won't bite, promise" he said with a smile. "Y-you want m-me t-t ride t-that?" she asked, scared slightly of flying. "Yeah, hm" he nodded eagerly. Hinata fumbled over her thoughts whether or not to join him, but with a quick grasp of her small hand, she gasped loudly before noticing she was already sitting behind him aboard the majestic winged creature.

"Are you ready, yeah?" he asked. Hinata pressed her lips together and nodded. Without knowing what to anticipate, Hinata yelped highly when the bird took off. She wrapped her arms tightly around the thin boy's waist as they reached a higher altitude. Deidara smiled at the sight of the girl pressing her face onto his back, not wanting to look down. He laughed heartily.

"It's okay, yeah. I promise when you are on my watch I will not let anything hurt you. You won't fall" he pledged sincerely. Hinata slowly looked around her, amazed by what she saw. The village looked beautiful when you were free, or so Hinata concluded as she looked down. She allowed herself to relax, feeling safer.

"H-have I-I-I ever d-done this b-before?" she asked, still gazing about the town as they flew. "Nope" Deidara replied. "I didn't know how to make such a large bird the last time I've seen you, yeah" he said. Hinata nodded, mouth slightly parted in surprise. So when was the last time they've seen each other? Hinata couldn't muster a single thought about it.

"When w-was t-the last t-time I've s-seen you?" she asked, not even sure if he was making this up or not. Deidara pondered over it for a bit. "I believe it has been almost six years by now" he replied, frowning at the thought of being away from her so long. "I haven't seen you since your ninth birthday" he added. Hinata's eyes widened slightly. It seems like a missing piece came into play.

"T-that makes s-sense t-to m-me now" she said. Deidara looked behind him, a few locks of his blond hair tickled her face. "Hm?" he asked, confused. "I-I d-don't remember anything b-before m-my t-tenth b-birthday" she said, shaking at the thought of all those lost memories.

"So you're fourteen now...amazing, hm. I remember you when you were just eight years old. Come to think of it, isn't your birthday soon?" he asked. Hinata looked taken aback from all the information the artist knew about her, but she simply nodded wordlessly. "A-and h-how old are you?" she asked curiously. "Me? I'm eighteen now" he said carelessly, like he had almost forgotten to keep track.

"Ano...s-sorry f-for all the questions" she muttered. Deidara gleamed at her, his blue eye visible from his hair sparkled in the moonlight. "Don't worry about it Hinata-Hime, I'd have alot of questions too, please ask away, yeah" he said with a confident smile. Hinata smiled back weakly, unable to hold it in.

"W-why d-o you c-call m-me Hinata-_Hime_?" she asked, so quietly that is was near inaudible. Hinata could feel Deidara's calm shrug from her grip on him. "I picked it up when we were younger" he said with a small laugh. "Ano...I-I see" she mumbled forlornly. "Is there something wrong? Do you not like it? I don't have to...say it..." he said jittery at unease.

"Ano...it's j-just t-that alot of t-the Hyuuga family c-calls m-me t-that" she replied. Deidara's eyes widened. "Really? How come?" he asked. All the silly thoughts he had when he was younger about her being a princess suddenly rushed back into his head. "I-I'm the heiress" she claimed with a frown. Deidara almost pouted childishly.

"Wow" he mouthed. "So you get to be charge of all of that wealth and power of your family?" he assumed, amusement hidden in his voice. "Hai" The white eyed girl answered. "You don't want to be the heiress" he said. It wasn't a question, but it was a statement. Hinata was impressed by how he could read her feelings so easily. "H-Hai" she responded again.

"Well if it makes you feel any better, I never knew that. I only call you Hinata-Hime because I really thought you were a princess" he said coolly. Hinata's face illuminated to a deep shade of red. Her mind began racing. What kind of relationship did they truly have? Hinata was positive she could trust him, and she never felt that bond with another person. But they were only children right? There surely wasn't any kind of deeper or serious meaning to it, right?

Too embarrassed to say anything, she simply enjoyed the ride in silence, finding joy in the wind caressing her face and watching each strand of Deidara's hair flow smoothly through the sky. It was peaceful, it was different, and it was enjoyable. Hinata felt the sensation that she knew this man forever- which is some cases she has- but she still couldn't remember him.

"So is that why you picked up that stutter?" Deidara asked suddenly, breaking the silence. Hinata shot him a confused look. "Your family, they must have placed alot of pressure upon you" he clarified. "Ano..." Hinata began. "I-I-I" she stuttered. Taking a deep breath she continued. "Yes, it's a heavy burden" she admitted. "They think I-I-I'm...weak, and it hurts...that I'm not good enough" she said. Suddenly, she began to cry, it was hardly noticeable at first, but Deidara looked appalled when he saw the tears drain from her flawless eyes.

"Was I that weak when I was younger?" she asked, louder with more gusto then usual. Deidara, not knowing how to handle a situation with a crying girl simply tried to sooth her. "You were eight years old, I had only began to help train you when you were that young, and now look at you, yeah" he said, choking on his words. He slapped his forehead. "Of course you wouldn't know your progress...stupid me..." he cursed mentally.

"In other words, you are just unaware of your growth" he simply put it. The Hyuuga heiress wiped her eyes. "You trained me?" she asked. Deidara nodded. "Very little, and only the basics, but it was your father's request, hm" he explained. "My father? S-so w-what were you t-to us...me?" she asked. Deidara sighed. This was a story too long to tell for the night. "I resided with your family for around a year after my second foster father was assassinated" he said calmly. Hinata looked troubled as he spoke. "Ano...I'm so sorry I brought i-it up" she said, sniffing.

"It's in the past, yeah" Deidara waved it off, dismissing the thoughts. Hinata sighed. "I'm sorry you had t-to live with m-my father as well. I-I can't imagine what he must have put you through" she said, disturbed. Deidara smirked. "It's okay. It was worth it when I got to spend time with you" he said, smiling. Hinata blushed. "I-I wonder why oto-san d-didn't tell m-me anything about you" she thought out loud. "Hm" Deidara thought to this point as well, he wouldn't deny his disappointment to the decision.

"What d-did you d-do after you left?" she asked. Deidara gestured to the bird they flew on. "Art, I focused eternally on my art" he replied proudly. "Art was my passion, the sole thing that has kept my drive up" he claimed. Hinata frowned. "T-thats it?" she asked. Deidara frowned. "For the most part" he said, not wanting to go into detail.

"Deidara..." Hinata said. Deidara "hmed" to signal his attention. "Why d-did you leave?" she asked, sadness hinted in her tone. Deidara frowned. "You were kidnapped" he revealed. The duo remained silent. "I was kidnapped?" she whispered. A rapid cold feeling snaked down her spine. Suddenly she could feel those dormant forgotten thoughts flood through her brain. Everything just came through. Thoughts mixed in with others and she couldn't make out everything all at once like that. Some things were blurry, like the image of her mother, and some things came in clearly, like a young eleven year old Deidara and his kind foster father.

Then there was the sight of her kidnappers, threatening, rugged, and merciless. All the thoughts stewed up together in the empty pot that was her mind, and when she could not longer take it, she emitted a long high pitched scream.

That boy...that flower...that bird...her birthday...the kidnapping...it all triggered in one blur.

"Hinata-Hime!" Deidara shouted, attempting to snap the Hyuuga out of her spaz. She screamed again, guarding herself by whacking away Deidara from her arms. "Get away!" she yelled, so enraged on her rampage that she lost her balance from the safe bird's flight. As the ground was nearing, her mind cleared to one single promise. _'It's okay, yeah. I promise when you are on my watch I will not let anything hurt you'_

* * *

She opened her eyes weakly to a familiar scene. Her hair was tossed behind her in the wind, but that's what made her chilly. She shivered as the cold wind hit her face, but she could feel warmth coming off from the body she was placed on. She was on a lap, the musky smell of rain ran through her senses. She yawned lazily, obviously alerting her company as she felt him adjust. 

Her short calm was destroyed then, and she yelped in a panic. She felt a firm grip on her shoulder and with a sudden jerk, she met with a pair of blue eyes soaked with turmoil. The wind seized as she noticed their landing in a forest clearing. "Calm down please, hm!" the familiar voice cried. The Hyuuga eased herself at the sound of his voice. His voice, the one she now recognized the drastic change in pitch too. The voice that brought her endless amounts of smiles in her grey moody home.

"Deidara" she whimpered. Cautiously, he pulled her into a tight embrace. He wrapped his arm around her waist as the other one held her head against his chest. For so long he waited to hold her like this, but he still wasn't the knight he wanted to be for her. Several minutes passed by before either of the two decided to move. "Deidara, oh Deidara I'm so sorry" she apologized. The artist shushed her.

"I remember. I remember everything" she said. "I'm sorry, all my thoughts were jumbled together and I thought you were kidnapping me" she said, her words so quick Deidara could hardly separate them. "It's not your fault, don't worry about it. I do not blame you for thinking like that, I couldn't imagine" he assured.

Hinata sighed. How could she have forgotten her greatest friend? How could she forget someone like Deidara? It hurt her to think about moving on in life without him. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. The feeling at that time sounded mutual, being so young, but now it scared her, it was fascinating how strongly she felt about him.

"What?" Deidara asked, starting to feel strange with Hinata staring at him obviously. She snapped out of her stare, blushing. "I'm sorry, I-I just haven't truly realized how much you have changed" she admitted shyly. Despite his long hair, he grown to be a much better looking man then she could have ever imagined at the time. Her own thoughts made a blush appear across her already rosy cheeks.

"What have you done all these years?" she asked, switching her thoughts to a different topic. Deidara opened and closed his mouth a few times, not confident in what to say. He was trying to avoid this. "It's complicated" he replied, still speechless to some extent. She nodded uneasily. "I see"

The artist heaved an exhale. She deserved to know, but he was still afraid of her acceptance after he tells her what he has become. "I'm a jounin now...or so you can say" he began. Hinata leaned in closer, carefully paying attention. Deidara gulped. "I've sort of been wandering, it's pretty hard to stay in one place when you're in my position" he explained. The Hyuuga nodded in understanding. "How long are you staying here" she interrupted.

Lines creased on the blonds angry face now. "I'm afraid it won't be long...I-" he stopped. The girl looked petrified. "What?" she mouthed. "Not long? Why? No..." she whispered in a flustered manner, holding back her tears. Deidara encircled his arms around the girls waist, easing her to rest the back of her head on his chest as they sat. Hesitantly, she placed her hands on top of his. She closed her eyes, enjoying every second of the peaceful moment. She didn't care how long he was staying, but he was there now...for her.

"Isn't that sweet Itachi?"

Hinata jumped in Deidara's arms, but only grabbed tighter to him around his waist. "What was that?" she whispered.

"Hmph"

The Hyuuga shook violently, but set herself to concentrate her chakra into her eyes. "Byakugan" she whispered as her white eyes bulged and activated. She scanned the area and picked up three shinobi watching them from about fifty meters away, one was familiar, one had enormous amounts of chakra, and the last was the hardly life like or noticeable.

She pointed in their direction. Deidara followed her finger to the sight of which they were hiding. "Damn" he hissed fiercely. He cursed to himself possibly dozens of times before realizing the danger he was putting the Hyuuga heiress in. In one swift motion, he picked her up bridal style and carried her over to the clay bird. "Don't say anything, don't look at any of them, and don't run after me, you'll be okay" he demanded. Hinata's tears now freely soaked her eyes. The bird then lifted into the air, high enough for Deidara to pray she remained safe.

* * *

It was dark. All he could see was black. He could hear the downpour of rain surround him. He could feel every individual droplet of water hit his exposed flesh and wounds. He was in too much pain to bother to move, until, that is, he remembered the girl. He kept his right eye closed, only to find if easier to search the area with his camera on his left. 

He didn't know where he was. The deserted area was unrecognizable. How long as he been lying here? Carefully, he extended his hand to his side pouch across his hip. Empty. He had no clay, no food, and no way to heal himself. He must have been left here... to die. So where did that leave Hinata? Well his heart wouldn't be able to take it if anything happened to her.

He was going to live on. He wasn't going to let the Akatsuki defeat him like that. He wasn't going to give up. Angrily, he summoned all his strength to aid him in sitting up. He was sure his ribs were broken, and the fact that his left arm felt lifeless wasn't going to help in any, but the fight was nothing but a massive blur to him now. His only goal was to find his Princess, just to know that he didn't fail her.

As he went to stand, he heard a loud snap. He screamed in pain at the crunch of his leg, and knocked himself out yet again, the dripping rain from the treetops left a stinging sensation upon his cuts. Suddenly, he could see a shadow of a familiar figure near him.

"Hinata" his voice raspy, called for her.

He thought he had been hallucinating, but there she was, arriving via his clay bird. "Deidara!" she cried. She stumbled as she ran. She cried frantically, examining the numerous wounds the artist contained.

"I thought you were gone" they both said simultaneously.

Without another word, Hinata began performing every last medical ninjutsu procedure she has learned. Deidara began protesting, but lost the energy. Fully concentrated, the Hyuuga drained every last ounce of chakra inside of her. "There...you...go" she said in between pants. "You'll be okay...you'll be okay" she repeated breathlessly. She looked at the resting blond. "Stay awake...Deidara..." she said, lowering herself to the ground.

She felt her eyes get heavy, unconsciousness slipping closer. "Stay...awake" she whispered. Just that instant, she collapsed next to the boy, one of her arms rested on his abdominal as they both slept in the settling rainstorm.

* * *

**The next morning... **

Deidara awaken to the smell of smoke. Alertly he opened his eyes, slightly blinded by the bright glare from the bonfire set up. Advently, he searched the forest from the same spot he had collapsed. There had to be somewhere here who started the campfire, but there was no one around in a few miles radius, he was sure of it. 

Groaning from his stiff muscles, he sat up. To his surprise, the intensifying sharp pain that he had yesterday was gone. He slowly moved his arms and feet muscle by muscle until he felt it was safe enough to stand. He slowly lifted his shirt over his head and tossed it carelessly aside on the forest floor. He examined himself in amazement to discover he was only left with cuts and bruises. He concentrated hard as he tried to remember what happened to him, but his head hurt too much to put any thoughts together. Now he understood how Hinata felt.

Suddenly he remembered his true reason for his headache: Hinata. If anything, his head hurt the most at that moment. Forget his scars, the only thing that mattered to him was the safe arrival of the young Hyuuga heiress.

There was a sudden snap coming from a nearby distance. Stiffening, Deidara took fighting stance. There was no way he was in condition to brawl with anyone, but he wasn't about to show his weakness. The tussling behind the bushes came nearer and Deidara was beginning to think this wasn't as threatening as he would have prepared for. No shinobi, especially at Akatsuki level, would dare to just pop out of the bushes so expectedly like that.

Then the tussling seized just as quickly as it started. Puzzled, Deidara eased his position to find just the person he so longingly desired to see reveal herself from the clearing. Her face was a deep set red at the sight of a shirtless Deidara, but the blond didn't seem to notice that factor at the moment. A wave of relief shook over his body, calming his nerves and mind.

"Hinata-Hime" he whispered. She blinked a few times innocently, trailing her eyes to the ground. "Hinata-Hime" he repeated, smiling brightly this time. "I'm so...overwhelmed, and now you're here...you're okay, and that's all that matters to me" he said, not able to make eye contact.

"I'm okay Deidara, but you're not. Please, you shouldn't be moving around yet" she said softly. "I didn't realize you woke up, I went to find some fire wood" she reported. "Hm" Deidara simply said with a nod, wincing in pain as he sat down. "What happened to me? My head is all fuzzy, yeah" he asked. Hinata twitched.

"You battled the three for quite a long time...too long...I was so scared..." she explained hesitantly. She replayed the scene in her head vigorously. To watch Deidara with such a wicked, cokcy, and power hungry expression carved on his normal light and friendly face frightened her no doubt. She wasn't aware of how powerful he truly was. She had to stand further away just simply to escape the deafening sounds of the explosions that he created. What she remembered as his "art" seemed to be alot more then the models.

Sadly, he was up against three, and he was only one. "I had to do something, anything. They were either going to kill you or let you get yourself killed. It was so dangerous, and I felt so useless" she whispered. Deidara's eyes widened, still too relieved to be angry with her. "What happened?" he asked, desiring for her to continue. Was he that crazy? Was she afraid of him now?

"I-I managed to injure one of them, the large blue one" Deidara twitched, feeling Samehada's wound practically reopen at the thought of Kisame. "Well he wasn't very happy...and he started chasing me. So the other two left before they could finish you off to chase after the blue one" she explained. "After a long trailing flight I knew I lost them, and they haven't showed up yet"

Deidara felt like crying, he let his head fall against the tree trunk he leaned against. "Looks like you saved me again, Hinata-Hime" he sighed.

Hinata smiled weakly in sympathy. "Let's just get some rest, we'll try to move tomorrow and we can both explain everything"

"Hm, Hinata? Serious question...are you...afraid of me now?" he asked.

"Smile for me" she said. Deidara raised an eyebrow, but it was the cute way she demanded it that did end up making him smile at her. He laughed nervously during the silence. She smiled in return warmly. "No, I am not" she replied. "Goodnight"

* * *

"Hinata-Hime!" 

The cobalt hair girl rose from her sleep, but not by the person she had expected. There standing in front of her were the three people she would put last on her desire to see list. She looked back at the stern eyes of her father, cousin, and younger sister timidly. What was she going to do now?

"May I require what you have been doing here in the forest for the past two nights? I am not allowing the Hyuuga heiress to take habit of such irresponsible actions" Hiashi proclaimed.

Hinata stammered. "Father, I-I-"

"Hiashi-Sama" Deidara interrupted with a bow.

Hiashi starred in utter shock. Deidara was not pleased with the grotesque look on the Hyuuga's face. It was as if he was surprised he wasn't dead instead of a warm welcome. The blond sighed, he'd never understand this man. "Good to see you again, hm" he continued.

"Deidara" Hiashi acknowledged with an absent nod. "W-what on earth are you doing here?" he asked.

Deidara smirked. "I was in town, and I thought I'd check up with Hinata-Hime, to see how she is doing and all" he said with confidence over watching the full grown male stumble over his words. Hinata frowned forlornly. Hiashi however, did not seem satisfied with them being in the presence of each other.

"What have you been doing here with him Hinata?" he yelled. Hinata flinched slightly under his scream, but steadied herself. "Father" she started. A hint of fierce confidence flicked in her eyes. "Why haven't you told me?" she asked quietly. Her father looked away. "Why did you keep everything from me?" she was yelling this time. Her face was strong, but tears were falling in groups now.

"I remember everything father, you cannot hide it from me any longer. When did you plan on sharing my past? Did you ever plan on it?" she interrogated.

"Hinata..." Hiashi muttered, taken aback by the sudden shift in his daughter's attitude. He hasn't seen such a surge of confidence in her in so long, in fact...since she lost her memory about _him._

Deidara, giving a smug smile the entire time, casually cleared his throat, earning the attention from the flustered Hyuuga elder. "Hiashi-Sama, if you do not mind my intrusion..." he started courteously. He waited for the man's full approved attention before continuing. "I have a proposal, and I'm inclined to hear your opinion on it..."

"Just get to the point please" Hiashi interrupted.

Deidara felt one of his veins pop in annoyance. "I would like to take Hinata upon myself as my student" he announced proudly, earning a small gasp from Hinata and suspicious glares from the other Hyuugas.

Hiashi silently circled around Deidara for reasons the blond didn't care to know. He grumbled to himself. Deidara had him on a hook, and he was confident he would have the ability to reel him in. "Please Hyuuga-San, I am sure I am able to aid her in gaining strength better then anyone else can offer" he said. At this remark, he heard a gruff from Neji in protest. Hinata looked back at her blond companion, impressed with his sudden seriousness.

"Well, I'm not sure about that. In reality, I'm sure there are plenty of other perfect occupants to tutor Hinata in the improvement of her shinobi skills" he claimed. Deidara suppressed a growl, attempting to remain diplomatic. "Please Hyuuga-San, I'm sure you are not aware of my improvement, but I assure you I am quite the capable teacher" he persisted.

Hiashi mumbled. "Hinata" he called, not even looking at her.

"Hai" Hinata said attentively.

"Come, I need to speak with you before I allow you to pursue training with Deidara-San" he said. Hinata, taking this as a positive sign, followed her father, looking back a few times to eye Deidara as she walked.

* * *

"So" Deidara began at the arrival of Hinata. He took it that the bag in her hand was a good sign, but she still looked on the edge. Deidara stretched, rising from the tree trunk he rested on while she was absent. He yawned. "What's the analysis?" he asked lazily. 

The Hyuuga shuffled her feet oddly, walking towards him. "Let's go" she said with a weak smile. Deidara gave her a funny look. She was shaking, a nervous wreck.

"Is anything wrong? Are you sure you want to do this, yeah?" he asked.

"Yes, I am sure" she replied. Something obviously still occupied her mind as she fiddled with her fingers. "It's just...it seems like my f-father knows something about you that I don't, and for that reason he didn't seem t-to trust you completely" she said. She stared at Deidara's hurt look his face and she instantly went to defend herself.

"I don't have a problem with you Deidara, I am just worried as to why my father would allow me to go with you when he directly told me he didn't trust you..." she said. "I guess it just shows...that he doesn't care what happens to me" she said.

Deidara was about to interrupt in protest, but Hinata continued. "I know he wants me to get stronger, but if anything were to happen to me, he'd shrug it off. They have my sister, the better suited heiress..." she said. Choking back a tear, she suddenly had a strange glint in her eye. "I'm going to get stronger for me, not for my father or any other Hyuuga" she proclaimed.

"Can we leave Deidara, please?" she asked as sweetly as possible. Deidara blinked a few times, hiding an admirable smile, eyes narrowing. "Hai" he said, nodding. He grabbed her bag for her as they headed deeper into the forest.

"So how much does your father know about me, yeah?"

"Oh" Hinata gasped. "I honestly wouldn't know, he never said...but..."

"You'd like to know?" Deidara finished her sentence. Hinata nodded. "We need some catching up to do"

"Agreed" Deidara smiled. "From this day on, we will tell each other everything, yeah"

Hinata nodded. "No more secrets?" she asked.

"Hai, no more secrets" he replied.

Hinata awkwardly nodded. "Starting...with you..."

"I was somewhat forced to join the Akatsuki"

Hinata beamed at his forwardness. "You...forced?" The Akatsuki? Deidara? The criminal organization?

"Well before that I was somewhat of a _terrorist_ bomber, if you'd call it that. I just call it working with my art. Upon hearing this, they seemed to have taken a high interest in my..er...talents. I never wanted to...but that Uchiha and his eyes...he said that if he deafeated me, I would have to join, and the next thing you know it I'm trapped in a lair with a black cloak and red clouds."

Hinata wasn't sure if she was comprehending everything he said. She starred off in space aimlessly, feeling dizzy.

Deidara frowned. "That's why I'm a threat to you. I'm dangerous, I won't deny it. I ran away from the Akatsuki in hopes of being free and finding you, and that's why I didn't plan on sticking around. I had to be on the run because I knew they would come back to find me, and possibly kill me. Those three who ambushed us were all part of the Akatsuki" he explained, blue eyes pointed down.

"I don't want to put you in danger. I don't know when they'll come back or if they ever will, but just know I'll be ready to save you, next time we'll be stronger, next time I will put everything at risk" he said sternly.

Hinata shuttered. "I am scared, but there is no way I'm giving up what we have...I want to be strong with you"

He looked up now, meeting the glance of gleaming crystal white eyes. He cupped his hand around her cheek. She shivered from the contact of his cold hand against her hot cheeks. "Hinata, as long as you're with me we can both be strong. I need you, and I hope I can make you stronger as well"

Hinata, still filled with fear, felt a sense of certainty in his voice that calmed her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, a singled tear slivered down the opposite cheek bone. His lips pressed to hers lightly, but it didn't take long for her to react to the warmth that surged through her body as he tenderly sucked on her bottom lip. They both worked over the awkward nose bump, adjusting to the concept of kissing. He lowered his head to her height to ease into the kiss, deepening it. He wrapped an arm around her tightly as she shivered. Hinata ran her slender fingers through the long strands of his hair.

They parted their lips slowly, still staying a few inches away from each other. Deidara pressed his forehead against hers, smiling. The sensation made him feel like he was completely free, as free as one of his clay birds bursting to life in flight, it was greater then art.

She smiled innocently as well, feeling as if she no longer had to search for her feelings, memories, or past experiences. Everything was right there in front of her. He was ultimately right...with him, she was strong. Worries eased their dominance, and hope proceeded again. She found her hope and that was the end of the beginning and a start of something new.

* * *

**Two years later.  
Hinata: 17  
Deidara: 20**

"Here Deidara-Kun, you need to eat"

Deidara smiled gratefully, yet apathetically. "Thank you" he replied, slurping his prepared ramen quietly. Hinata was watching the snow fall outside, washing some dishes and enjoying the peace of the moment. It was only a matter of moments until she heard the bowl clank on the table, empty. Wow.

Hinata eyed the empty boy peculiarly. "Ano...that was very fast" she commented. Deidara shrugged indifferently. He wrapped his arms around Hinata's waist, smiling now. "I guess I forgot how great your cooking is" he said, planting a small kiss on her temple. Hinata giggled, watching Deidara clean the bowl.

Deidara fixed the fireplace to his liking, sitting down next to it in nothing but his black pants. Hinata joined him, wrapping both of them in a blanket as they lied next to each other. "So we left off with you telling me about the Byakugan?" he asked. Hinata nodded. "That's right, now where did we leave off last night?..." she thought out loud.

"I think it was about your cousin" Deidara said emotionlessly, obviously not too interested in the elder cousin.

"Ah, Neji-Kun...he's from the side branch"

"So what is the difference? Why don't I remember him?" the blond asked.

"Well Neji is apart of the cursed part of the family, according to the Hyuuga family, he is nothing more then a protector to us main branchers and the secret of the Byakugan" she stated.

"Protector? So what's the curse?"

"Well each member is marked with a cursed seal on their foreheads by someone from the main branch. They usually live in the other house in the manor" she explained. "The seal give the main branch control over them...it's really a horrible thing in my opinion. Neji-Kun hasn't done anything wrong, he doesn't deserve such treatment..."

Deidara scoffed, but it went unnoticed. Hinata went on. "Luckily, he proved himself to be an extremely talented shinobi and loyal member to the Hyuuga family...which is the main reason why they selected him to marry me..." she drifted off.

Just as she expected, Deidara's mouth was gaped wide open, eyes practically bulging out of his sockets. "What!?" she yelled, jumping up instantly. Hinata tried to calm him, understanding why he would be so jumpy. "Please Deidara-Kun, it's nothing now. We said we'd tell each other everything, remember? I don't want to be part of all of that now. I was suppose to marry him once I turned eighteen, where I would assume duties as the heiress" she explained.

"But why him? Why your cousin?" he asked, still enraged with the picture implanted in his mind.

"Well the elders felt it would be propor...if I married someone of Hyuuga blood, and they went on and on about Neji being such a noble and wise choice. I didn't know what to think at the time, but it made me miserable, if that makes you feel any better" she pouted.

"Alright" he said reluctantly, lying back down besides the girl, wrapping an arm protectively around her. "I still don't see why he got to watch over you that time" he mumbled.

Hinata sighed. "There's something I haven't mentioned to you yet either..." she said. Deidara inched closer, curiosity provoked. "Before Neji came along, there was someone else" she began, earning a perplexed look from the blond. "I was so young, but my father was thinking ahead of time, and for my sake..."

Deidara blinked, anticipating the next words to come from her mouth. "It was you" she whispered in his ear.

Some old memories flooded back into his brain, but none that would lead him to believe that Hiashi was conspiring a wedding the entire time. He was shocked to say the least, but it explained alot. "No way..." he whispered. "So I'm guessing that's why he didn't tell you about me" he mumbled.

"What?" Hinata asked.

"He didn't want you to know about me, because he knew in the long run I was...no good. I was a crazed artist without you. Neji was the better man, Neji was a Hyuuga, he would have saved you from those kidnappers" he said, eyes still visibly widened even from behind the depths of his bangs.

"Deidara, I don't think you get it" Hinata said, smiling. She placed her small hand on his chest, where his heart is located. Deidara placed a sturdy hand on top of hers, squeezing it lightly.

"I know it was in the past, and I know I can leave it behind, because you're here with me today. You have _saved_ me Deidara, maybe not from intimate heroic battle danger...but from my fate, my family, and my worries. You have set me free and have brought back my hope, and therefore, you are my knight"

Deidara smiled. "Hinata-Chan...I love you"

* * *

**Gahhhh mushy love fluffy goodness fest 2008?  
I hope you like it, I thought I got kind of lazy in the middle...I don't know.  
This was mainly focused on Deidara and Hinata obviously as opposed to his whole life story.****  
I'll probably write an epilouge of some sort. It just seems like too many questions are left unanswered.  
I hope you enjoyed it :) **

-megzx 


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